childlessness

As National Fertility Awareness Week nears its conclusion, we’re pleased to be able to bring you this guest post from our friend Mark. His story comes very much from the messy middle of a journey with infertility… Someone wise once said to me – and I paraphrase because it’s been a while – ‘We are all like jars of water,…

Today marks the start of National Fertility Awareness Week. In the few years that this has been on my radar, I’ve often accompanied this announcement with a jingle or dance so please just imagine I am shimmying around as you read this. This year feels different for me. I could put it down to being a post-fertility treatment parent and…

I remember the first moment I saw a child with Down’s Syndrome after the results from my 6th miscarriage. I was sat on a pub terrace in Cornwall enjoying a glass of wine, the sun shining into my skin, my face flushed from the heat and the alcohol, my body sinking further into the cushioned wicker armchair I was sat…

The following is a chapter from Lizzie’s book ‘Saltwater & Honey’ which she is currently working on. “I’m pregnant!” I whisper to my brother. His eyes respond with wide-eyed excitement, congratulating me with a silent ‘yay!’ The vicar stands to start the service and all eyes are forced forward, resting on the coffin at the front of the crowded chapel….

Silence, or my fear of silence, is something I’ve wanted to write about for a long time but I’ve struggled to find the words to express exactly what it makes me feel and how I’ve struggled with it. I guess it’s just one of those everyday life struggles that comes with living out a story you’re still not totally comfortable…

Last week we were put in touch with a couple who had a story of recurrent miscarriage, we offered to meet with them, to listen and to tell them they’re not alone. But they declined. After hearing our story of six miscarriages, no baby and no answers they decided they didn’t want to speak to us, I think our story…

Andrea Leadsom’s ambitions of being the next Prime Minister are in ashes: whatever your feelings about her, you could see, as she bowed out of the Conservative leadership contest yesterday, that she was giving up on a dream. But before the whole saga becomes yesterday’s hooha, it’s worth reflecting on what impact her comments about motherhood have had. Leadsom’s assertion…

I didn’t go to church on Mother’s Day for many, many years because it hurt too much. I didn’t realise for a long time that I wasn’t alone. The day is hard for so many. Those grieving the loss of their own mother. The mother who has no physical child to hold. Those who are estranged from their mothers. Those…

I love story. I love how stories can grab you, feeding your mind and your creativity, introducing you to a new world as you dive into the pages of a book or are carried away by the film you’re watching. Over the past few months I’ve been studying story a lot, exploring what makes a great story – how to…

The other night Dave and I pulled out one of our favourite DVD’s from our ever growing film collection to watch. Laid out on the sofa under a blanket with Betsy, our cavapoo snuggling next to us – she’s an excellent snuggler – we watched Moneyball. For someone who’s never really considered themselves as ‘sporty’, I never expected to enjoy…

Saltwater and Honey is a collection of voices sharing their stories about infertility, miscarriage, childlessness and faith. These experiences can be painful and leave you feeling isolated but we want you to know that you are not alone, it’s okay to grieve and your story matters.